Seatbelt Enforcement in Michigan Causes Crash

Here's a big pet peeve of mine: Click it or Ticket enforcement, AKA Seatbelt Enforcement.

In general, I disagree with ticketing people for not wearing seatbelts. Granted, I always wear mine & fully understand the benefits of wearing one. Also, I fully agree that the driver should be responsible to ensure all passengers under 16 wear their seatbelts, but that's my agreement ends.

Once a person is 16 and old enough to drive a car on their own, I believe it is their own right/responsibility to choose whether to buckle up. Here's the bottom line: A person who chooses NOT to buckle up is only putting themselves at risk. They are not harming other people. In the event of a car crash, them not wearing a seatbelt does not put other people at risk.

With that in mind, WHY ARE WE WASTING OUR POLICE RESOURCES TO TICKET PEOPLE NOT WEARING SEATBELTS?!?

If a person chooses to put themselves at risk, that is their own right. Just like sky-diving, downhill skiing, or riding a bicycle. In all aspects of life, there are risks . Using valuable police time to identify and ticket these people is in NO WAY protecting & serving the public. What a load of crap. It's just the easiest revenue generation that these cops can find.

The reason I chose to complain about this now is that this morning, on my way to work, I drove through a seatbelt enforcement zone. No, I didn't get ticketed. As I said, I wear a seatbelt. What caught my attention wasn't even the 6 police cruzers with people pulled over. It was the accident that this 'enforcement zone' had caused. Sure enough, a lady in a Ford Excursion rear-ended some poor sap in a Honda Civic. No doubt, she was distracted by the numerous cops pulling out in traffic to keep the public safe by removing all those dangerous unbelted drivers from the road.

This is where I draw the line: When the actions of the people we pay to 'protect' us end up causing more harm than good, it is time for reasonable citizens to say "Enough." We should not allow this to happen any more. My recommendation is to remove the ability for police to pull over cars for seatbelts as a primary infraction. End this useless seatbelt enforcement, and get the cops back to work preventing crime.

Modifications to Headlamp to accept 18650 batteries

I have modified one of my headlamps to accept larger capacity batteries. The first step was to dis-assemble the entire headlamp, solder wires in the correct places, and run the wires out of the lamp. You can see the headlamp in action with a couple of 18650 lithium ion (LiIon) batteries that I had laying around. These batteries should give about 4 times the original runtime on AAA batteries.

Next step: I need to make a nice remote battery pack & quick-connect plugs for this.

Pictures of the Brooks Champion Flyer

Here's the first pictures of my new saddle on the bike. Enjoy!

Taking the Plunge: Brooks Leather Saddle!

After my first couple hundred miles of riding in 2008, I've decided to take the plunge and purchase a Brooks leather saddle. I've chosen the champion flyer, a single rail sprung saddle. My main reasoning for this is the horrible roads we have in Michigan. It's much akin to driving/riding in a 3rd world country. Cars routinely lose entire wheels in potholes, which makes the ride on a bike brutal at times. A little suspension on my commuter should be a good fit.

I chose to buy it from Wallingford Bikes, www.wallbike.com. Their 6 month return policy sealed the deal for me.

Great vocalists - Check them out

Boyce Avenue.... A (mostly) acoustic band I recently discovered. I highly recommend checking them out. I would love to see these guys in concert, possibly opening for Of A Revolution (O.A.R.) That could be one of the best concerts in history. Only enhanced if 311 were there as well. 311 covering O.A.R. songs, O.A.R. covering 311, & Boyce Avenue covering whoever they choose.

I would love to see this concert. Anyone else?